Starting Over

New Year's Eve...

A time to reflect on a year past.

And some of us may be sore in need of letting go

the scars and wounds of the journey.

And this can be hard...

especially when cancer is involved.

May we always be reminded that

no matter what happens in life,

there is a strength to turn the scars into new beginnings...

Praying this night gives way to the sweet Hope of a

Brand New Year!

My Love, Always,

Jane

When Things Get Confusing!

I've felt this way a time or two! LOL!

Poor Sophie!

Sometimes life throws you curves... like lost cheerios!  

May your day be filled with laughter

and praying you always find the things that matter most!

Love, Always,

          Jane

A Springboard to Confidence

Getting ready to jump into a new year...

Mostly excited for a fresh start, yes?

But, sometimes...

there's a bit of fear facing the unknown.

Praying for strength and confidence to open the door to 2019...

Lord, Give us Faith like Daniel for all you've called us to walk through!

"So, give me faith like Daniel in the lion's den,

Give me hope like Moses in the wilderness;

Give me a heart like David, Lord be my defense,

So I can face my giants with confidence!"

                ~ Sanctus Real

Christmas Blessings...

Christmas at the Lake... in a Log Home still under construction!  And family still came and filled these log walls with love :-)

Loud and Crazy and just Perfect!

We took Poppy and Christian on a gator ride!

There were feisty Christmas calves...

and precious sleepy babes...

The evening wrapped up in a perfect sunset...

A day to relish the sweet Blessings of a baby in a manger

Given to us all because of Love...

It is the Best Gift ever given.

Merry Christmas from our home to yours...

May you feel the holiness of this season all year long.

Sending Love in abundance,

In Grace, Always,

                 Jane

There's an Empty Chair...

How do you celebrate this Holy season when loss leaves you hollowed out and hurting?  Sometimes it's just so painful.  For those who are struggling with an empty chair at their table, may you feel my love stretched across the miles. It's hard.

Grief and the Holidays.  Much has been written through the years.  Might I share just a few more words?  Alexandra Rosas...she has felt the sting of grief... losing her nephew earlier this year and her mother just a few years before... Alexandra is navigating the minefield of loss while choosing to hold familiar traditions for her family.  She speaks to the heart of all that is broken for the grieving...

"It just feels wrong to celebrate, as if you're ignoring their absence.  It also feels wrong to dwell on their loss, especially when you have children at home.  What you want is for the ones you love to be around you.

After my nephew's death in January, I began to see a grief counselor.  Last week, I asked her for advice on how to navigate the coming holiday season.  I told her I wanted to avoid the whole thing altogether, as the sorrow has just knocked the wind out of me.

She put into words what I couldn't, explaining that the loss I felt, besides the obvious grief, was also a break in a pattern  She noted how the holidays make glaring the reality and permanency of the losses I've experienced.  It's not limbo anymore - it's right there in the empty chairs.  It tells me they are gone, and won't be coming back.

'You can't go around this.  You'll have to face it head on.  You'll have crushing moments, but you'll have memories too.  You can push it all away for now,' she said, 'but it will come back again until you live through it.  The manner in which you spend the holidays won't change the ache of loss.'

I'm still not sure how we're going to handle the next few weeks. All I know is that we have to bravely make our way through it all without stopping the tears or the laughter in those wonderful memories.

We will survive this first season without them, feeling so very fortunate to have loved them so much."

~ excerpt from Alexandra Rosas' Empty Chairs


Tears and Laughter, truly we have been fortunate to have loved so much ... that is grace for the grieving this season.

Praying for each one that is facing an empty chair at the table this coming week.  And trusting in the One who loves us too much to leave us alone in the valley of loss.

That baby in the manger... he is all about lighting our path and bringing us safely home where the table will never be empty and our broken hearts will be made whole.

My Love, Always,
                        Jane

Music of the Season...

This...We've had this on replay at the farm all week...

Rejoicing today,
Love, Always,
     Jane

Smiles for Today

A laugh for your Weekend...

Happy, Happy Weekend!

Love, Always,

                   Jane

Preservers of the Legacy...

{Love}

The Remembering...

7 years...

Can it really be?

Today, an anniversary of sorts,

remembering the day we said our last goodbyes...

Not a happy kind of anniversary {sigh}

So much missing these past 7 years.

Her voice, her laugh, her love...

These anniversary kind of days bring the focus to bear on all we've lost.

And maybe I thought by this time we'd be experts at this grief thing...

Not so much.

So we stumble through the minefield of loss and discover that the remembering takes us to places of  tiny joys

And we start smiling...

And our hearts open wide.

She left us a legacy of love that is a joy to remember.

In the grieving {and the remembering} we find our footing...

Gentle, Solid, Full of Hope.

God is gracious to comfort...

And that is Grace for today,

Always,

         Jane

A Thanksgiving Blessing!

We're Home!  And Happily Exhausted from our trip across Europe...  Just in time for Thanksgiving feasting!

And plenty of rowdy family fun... Poppy was surrounded by the happiest of grandkids and great-grands.

That was Thanksgiving Blessing.

Gratitude in Abundance for the love shared around this big family table!

And the trip?  That amazing retirement celebration trip??  It was everything we could have imagined... and yes!  There are pictures!  ;-)

We started in Paris, France and after exploring this beautiful city, we headed to the beaches of Normandy...

Such a poignant journey,

remembering each one who fought for our freedoms.

 that June day...

The moments spent here will forever be etched in our hearts.

Then we traveled through beautiful Luxembourg on our way to the Viking Hild, our home away from home!

Gorgeous scenery as we sailed down the Moselle and Rhine Rivers...

Touring old castles...

And visiting charming old villages!

Oh, and did I mention the Cathedrals??

The architecture, the ancient breath of whispered prayers,

 the Holiness of these places...

Then there were the quaint town squares and charming sidewalk cafes!

Which led to pastries and chocolate! 

I may have slipped into a chocolate coma once or twice, just sayin'

Melt in your mouth delicious!

Our journey ended in Switzerland, where we hiked the Swiss Alps... truly a highlight of our trip!

We hiked to the base of the Eiger North face and searched for the Eiger glacier through the fog bank... it seemed hopeless...

But then in the blink of an eye, the fog lifted and we stared speechless at the beauty before us.

This trip was filled with joy.

What a marvelous way to kick off the next chapter in our lives!

Retirement, here we come!

First job... Laundry! Lol!

Love to each,

Always,

       Jane